Microsoft officially announces fitness tracker and health service

Microsoft has just announced the Microsoft Band and Microsoft Health. The Microsoft Band is a fitness tracking wearable that goes on sale tomorrow for $199. You can pick it up on your local Microsoft Store or online at the Microsoft Store website. Microsoft Health is a new cloud-based service that runs the numbers from the data collected by the Microsoft Band.

The Microsoft Band has 10 sensors and is able to track things like heart rate, step and general movement. But some novel sensors give you the ability to measure UV exposure and a galvanic skin response measure to track stress. The fitness tracker will last 48 hours on a single charge. You can wear it all day and night to track sleep as well.

Microsoft Health not only collects the data from the Band for crunching, but is available on Windows Phone, Android and iOS as a companion app. This app allows you customize your Band. You can also use the app to view notifications on your wrist and interact with Cortana.

We'll get a hands-on with the Microsoft Band as soon as possible. It's a U.S. only device and you'll only be able to get it initially through the Microsoft Store.